A Stranger of the Forest
by Harrypotterisawesome123
Summary: Remus was so shocked when Sirius fell through the veil that Harry ran right past him and into it. Harry finds himself in a strange new land in the medieval era with bows, swords and... Rangers?
1. The Veil of Judgement

**A/N: Hello readers! this is my second fanfiction, as my first one is on hold due to writers block (again, I apologize)! I hope you guys enjoy it, since it is probably one of only like nine Harry Potter/Ranger's Apprentice crossovers. I wish that I was able to write both stories at the same time, but I simply don't have the skill for such a feat. Therefore, I will alternate every two chapters and try to get as many in as possible. Just hang in there, guys, and enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Ranger's Apprentice, nor do I own them in any remaining chapters in the story.**

** Chapter One: A Strange New Land**

Harry watched in horror as Sirius was swallowed by the Veil. He leapt forward, ignoring Remus' cry of, "Harry, NO!" He grabbed a hold of Sirius' foot as he disappeared, and felt an unbearable tugging sensation. Harry felt as if water was slowly filling his lungs, but it caused no discomfort, as he felt no need to breath. Suddenly Sirius' voice rang out.

"What the HELL do you think you are doing here, Harry?" Harry opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground of what seemed to be a large, pure white sitting room with Sirius standing over him. Harry leapt up pulled Sirius into a hug, and started crying unashamedly. Sirius, who had little experience in such matters, patted him awkwardly on the head until he had cried himself out.

"I thought I had lost you, Sirius." He whispered. Sirius gave him a stern look, which was uncharacteristic of the normally joking and fun Sirius. Suddenly, a voice boomed around the room, causing both Sirius and Harry to jump.

"The Veil has made it's judgement," it said, "Due to a hard life, indomitable courage and dying at the right time, Sirius Orion black will be joining his friends and family in the afterlife. Due to determination, loyalty, and dying before his time, Harry James Potter will be transported to another world with the appropriate survival instincts and resources where his skills will be of use. After you complete your mission, then and only then will you join your family." Harry looked at Sirius in horror, terrified at being parted with him, but Sirius gave him a hug and whispered, "Don't worry, pup, you'll join us soon." Then an invisible wall forced them apart, and the last thing that Harry saw was Sirius' sad smile, before whiteness filled his vision and he blacked out.

**A/N: Here's the first chapter of my new story! I sincerely hope you guys like it; I put a lot of effort into figuring out that scene. Next up: Harry will find out just what world he dropped into, and that he has to hide his magical gift.**


	2. The Cabin in the Woods

**A/N: Hola! I'm back, peoples, and with your favourite part of the book; when Harry goes to Araluen! I hope you enjoy my awesome storyline! ;)**

**Chapter Two**

Harry felt himself land painfully against a branch of a tree, and instantly scrambled for a foothold. He looked around, and was not surprised when he found his surroundings quite unfamiliar. Dense trees grew on either side of him, and, Harry realised, looking down, he was wearing a strange, forest green cloak, with a bow and arrow strung to his back. It wasn't comaflauge, Harry decided, but the cloak rippled in a nonexistent breeze, and it shimmered as if it were made of water. Harry took the bow from his back, and scrutinized it closely. He felt a strange presence wash over him, and winced at the feeling, but suddenly he knew exactly how to use the bow.

_Cool! But where the hell am I?_

Harry decided that waiting around in a tree was not going to do him much good, so he dropped from the tree and landed gracefully on his feet, his strange new instincts kicking in. He started walking in a random direction, hoping to find civilization somewhere close by. Thoughts of Sirius and his parents kept intruding in the peace, making Harry want to either cry or roar with rage at not being able to join his parents and friends. Harry growled, but did neither of those things, and simply plowed on. He would find this stupid mission of his, and he wouldn't give up until it was finished.

_ For Sirius, for Cedric, for Mum and Dad..._

Harry repeated these words over and over in his head, like a sort of chant.

_For Sirius, for Cedric, for Mum and Dad..._

On and on he marched, the path blurring in front of his weary eyes. Harry felt himself shaking with exhaustion, but still he pressed on, and at last he came into a clearing with a small cabin in the middle and a small stable in the corner. He staggered up the front steps, and he heard a horses faint whinny coming from the stables. The door opened, and Harry felt the blade of a knife press against his throat and a rough voice say, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Please sir," said Harry, his voice hoarse and shaky, "I just-just need a place to rest. I-I've been walking all day to try and find someone. Please - " He felt his knees buckle and he sank to the floor, unable to hold himself up any longer. He heard the door creak open farther, and arms pick him up and carry him inside.

"Who's that, Halt?" Harry heard a younger voice say.

"I don't know," said Halt, the man who was carrying him, "He just showed up on our doorstep all weak and shaking. Get your bed ready for him, he'll need it." Harry heard scurrying footsteps, a rustling sound, and he was lowered onto a bed. A warm, soft comfortable bed that made Harry sigh in relief. bedsheets were pulled over his shoulders and he heard Halt say, "What is your name, boy?"

The last thing Harry heard before he fell asleep was his own reply.

"Harry Potter."

* * *

Harry felt groggy, drowsy. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep. He gave a huge yawned and slowly opened his eyes, to find himself in an unfamiliar room. Harry frowned at first, then remembered all the events of yesterday.

_Bloody hell, it wasn't a dream! _He bolted upright in bed, glancing around the room fervently for any of the men who had picked him up yesterday.

"Ah, you're awake," said a voice, and Harry's head whipped round. He was so caught up in searching in the small corners of the room, he realised, that he had neglected to check that which was right in front of him. The figure of Halt was sitting in a chair next to his bed, wearing a strange grey and green mottled cloak.

"Hello," said Harry, wincing at how feeble he sounded. Halt handed him a glass of water, and he drank it up gratefully. Harry saw his bow and quiver of arrows lying next to Halt, and he quickly snatched it up, feeling strangely protective of the smooth, graceful weapon. Halt raised an eyebrow at his quick movements, and Harry flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," he said,"But these are the only things I have, and I'm kind of protective of them." Halt nodded, as if sympathising, but his eyes told a different story. They were shrewd and calculating, and they seemed to be evaluating his worth.

"That's a strange cloak you've got there," Halt commented, and it was Harry's turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"I could say the same thing." He looked over the grey and green cloak that Halt was wearing, "Camouflage, isn't it?" Halt looked surprised that he had recognised it, but nodded. Suddenly there was a creak as the front door opened, and the younger boy's voice called, "Halt? I've done all the chores you asked for!" Footsteps approached the bedroom, and the young boy walked in. He had curly brown hair and mirthful chocolate eyes, and seemed rather surprised that Harry was sitting up in bed.

"I thought you said that he wouldn't wake until tomorrow?" He asked Halt accusingly.

"I thought so too," Halt replied, "I guess he's more used to injury than I thought." Harry chuckled.

"You could say that," He said when they gave him curious looks, "I've had all of the bones in my right arm broken and rehealed, I've fallen fifty feet from a br- a tree, I've been knocked unconscious numerous times, do you want me to go on?" Both of the men stared at him, and Halt raised an eyebrow again.

"You do raise your eyebrow a lot, don't you?" said Harry, "Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Harry, Harry Potter." He extended a hand for the younger boy to shake. The boy shook his head in amusement and took it.

"My name's Will," He replied. Harry frowned when he didn't give a last name, but didn't comment, for he had a suspicion that whatever the reason was, it was rather personal. Harry then noticed that Will was wearing the same type of cloak as Halt was, and that they each had a double-knife scabbard strapped to their belts.

_Maybe it's some sort of uniform?_

_ "_Are those weird cloaks some sort of uniform?" Harry asked, his curiosity seemingly unsatiable. Will nodded.

"They're Ranger cloaks. I'm surprised you didn't recognise them." Harry looked down and mumbled, "I'm not from around here."

"It doesn't look like you are," Halt replied, "Where are your parents, if you are traveling?" Harry convulsively clutched at the sheets of his bed, and Will watched him in concern.

"My parents are dead," Harry said shortly, looking away from both of them. Will gave him a sympathetic smile, laced with sadness.

"That's alright," he said, "Mine are too. I never knew my parents. If it's not too painful, may I ask how they died?" Halt glared at him for lack of tact, but Harry quickly intervened. He figured it would sound too unrealistic if he told them that his parents were murdered by an evil wizard, or even that he was one years old when it happened, so he improvised wildly and said, "Bandits raided our village when I was five. I don't really remember it too well, only that I was the only one that survived. I Was sent to live with my aunt and uncle afterwards, but they - well, they're not the nicest people, they hated me. They blamed for my parents deaths. So, when some theives ambushed their house two years later, I took the opportunity to escape, and here. I am." Harry bowed his head, waiting for a rebuke at his running away from his relatives, then perhaps questions on where they were and how they could give him back to them. His story would fall apart when he told them that he didn't know, and then there would be trouble. But neither of them said anything of the sort.

"Wait," said Will in dawning comprehension, "You said you ran away two years later, and your parents died when you were five. Does that mean you were seven when you started living on your own?" Harry hesitated, then nodded. He got the weird "trust them" vibe from the two Rangers, sort of like what he got from Hagrid the first day he went to Diagon Alley.

Even Halt looked utterly shocked. Both his eyebrows went up of their own accord, and Harry had to suppress a chuckle at the expression on Will's face.

"I know," said Harry, briefly wondering when his acting skills got so good, "Most people are pretty shocked. But I already knew how to shoot a bow pretty well, so I fended for myself for quite a while. Then, after my favourite dog died, I sort of became reckless. I tried to take on too many people at once, ended up injured, and used up all my supplies while healing. So I tried to find some shelter, walked all day, exhausted myself, and passed out on your doorstep. Speaking of which, have you got some food? I'm bloody starving!" Halt stared at him for a few seconds longer, then, shaking his head, went back into the kitchen to cook some food.

"You any good with your bow?" asked Will, "I've just started shooting mine. Halt says, "Most archers shoot until they get it right. Rangers shoot until they don't get it wrong."

"Not only Rangers do that," replied Harry, "But, yeah, that is some good advice. Oh, and to answer your earlier question, I'm pretty sure I could go against that Halt fellow in a contest if I wanted to."

"Oh, really?" Harry looked up to see Halt standing in the doorway, carrying a laden tray of food, "Well, eat all your food, and then we'll go outside and test that theory." Then, a competitive spark in his eyes, he left the tray on Harry's bed and left the room.

**A/N: Another chapter finished! I'm so sorry that I took so long for this book, but time just got away from me! STUPID CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS! I really hate them, you know, it's only a time where you watch your sisters brag about all the toys they got while you get dictionaries. Plus, I have to spend the day after christmas doing yardwork for my gramma. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

** Next chapter is Harry and Halt's shooting contest! Who will win?**


	3. SOOOORRRRRRYYYY!

** A/N: OMFG! I just realized how awful that cliffhanger was, and how long it's been! I'm so sorry everyone! I have been so busy this summer and my inbox had like 15 pleas for me to update. I will not be abandoning this story, and WILL be updating soon (Though it may take a week or so).**

**BROFIST EVERYONE! And cheers to those who got that reference!**


	4. Hi! HIATUS

***Sheepish grin* Hi! Please don't kill me! I'm SO embarrassed that it's been this long! Then I look at the comments section and everyone is begging me to write another chapter! Well, I've got some bad news for you guys. I've been having an extremely hard time keeping up with my schoolwork, the book I'm writing as well as the 2 fanfics. So, I've decided to put this one on Hiatus, just until my other story is finished. I promise from the bottom of my heart that I'm NOT abandoning it! I just need to step back and take a break for a while. I need to focus more on my school work and less on this, or so my mum says. Again, I'm SO sorry! I've just got too much on my plate right now! I hope you all have a great week!**

**NO FLAMES PLEASE**


	5. Instinct

**A/N: Hello everyone. First things first, I'm so so sorry that I haven't uploaded in such a long time. A lot of things have happened in my life since then, which distracted me from writing, or pretty much anything. I'm not going to go into detail, but needless to say, I'm back. I was going through my old accounts on different sites, I saw this, and I was like, "screw it. I'm gonna finish it" I am in high school now so my writing has significantly improved, and I may or may not edit the earlier chapters. But enough talking. Here's chapter 3. Thank you for being so patient.**

**Chapter 3**

**Instinct**

Harry walked outside onto the grass, looking around curiously. He hadn't had time to really enjoy the swaying trees around him when he'd been drunk on exhaustion, but he sure did now. The trees and the well with lopsided stables standing next to it gave the entire thing a rather rustic feel. He shook his head at his own stupidity. _Of course it looks rustic, _he thought,_ I'm obviously in medieval times!_

"Done staring?" Harry jumped and turned around to see Halt looking pointedly at him, leaning against the door frame of the cabin. He shrugged.

"It's a very peaceful place," Harry said. "I like it." Halt nodded slightly and moved forward, beckoning for him to follow. Will practically leapt out the door after him, and he had an excited gleam in his eye as they all walked into the woods, towards, Harry assumed, a target range. As we walked, Will fell back to whisper something in my ear.

"Halt's gonna annihilate you!" Harry shook his head stubbornly, but couldn't help but feel a curl of apprehension in the pit of his stomach. Why had he agreed to this again? It was far too late to change his minds however, because they were already stepping out into the clearing. Four targets stood strongly at the far end of the field, each one progressively farther and farther away. Harry adjusted the small quiver of arrows on his back and stood up tall, trying to look every bit as confident as he was nervous. Will stood to one side, grinning from ear to ear.

"God, this is going to be fun to watch." He said. Halt nodded.

"I'd agree with you," Halt replied, "if I didn't know that it's not a fair fight." Harry had nothing to say to that, except to gulp nervously. Halt nodded at him.

"You first, boy." Halt said, leaning against the tree, his cowl covering his face so that it appeared that he was dozing. Harry stepped forward and knocked an arrow, aiming at the target farthest from him. Hardest first.

Thunk.

_ Miss._

Harry closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying vainly to push away his nerves. He aimed for the next target. A little closer, a little easier, he thought to himself. He fired.

_ Miss._

_Come on, please,_ Harry thought desperately. Unbidden, a voice seemed to whisper to him "_Relax. Breath in when you nock the arrow, breath out when you fire." _ Harry nodded slightly, a strange calm overtaking him, his posture relaxing, his grip on his bow loosening. He inhaled, nocked an arrow. Exhaled. Fired.

_ Bullseye_.

Harry let out a gasp of surprise and happiness, and he heard Will clap politely. He grinned to himself. _Alright, I can do this._ He knocked one last arrow, his nervousness dissipating as he spotted an arrow still sticking out of the bullseye on the nearest target. _Do it,_ the voice whispered. Harry took aim and fired, his arrow smashing into the previous arrow, slicing it in half and colliding violently with the target. Harry laughed in astonishment.

"Good one, Harry!" Will called gleefully, hopping up and down in a strange dance that made it look like he needed to pee. Halt straightened up, looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"Your aim and stance are terrible," he commented. Harry's face fell.

"I hit the last two alright," Harry said, but Halt shook his head.

"You hit two out of the four targets," he replied. "That means that, if those were enemies, half the time you'd be dead." Harry nodded slightly, remembering how he used to teach DA members similar things. Harry walked over to where Will was standing and stood next to him as Halt moved forward. Swiftly, in one fluid motion, Halt nocked an arrow and fired it at the first target. Bullseye. Halt let fly another arrow, and another, and another. Each one was a bullseye, dead center. Harry's face fell once more. Four out of four, which means-

"I win," said Halt, an almost smug look about him, though his facial expression didn't change much. Will whooped and clapped.

"Well done, you won against a novice!" He shouted. Harry glared at him.

"Oi, you-" Harry suddenly became very dizzy. The world blurred around him and his knees buckled. Halt caught him before his knees hit the ground.

"I believe that's enough excitement for one day," he said. "You're still recovering, after all." Harry nodded, the dizzy spell fading away. "Come along," Halt said to him. "Let's collect the arrows, and then we can head back to the cabin."

"Alright," Harry said. "I'll get the ones in the last two targets." Halt nodded and they both separated as they walked across the field. I was halfway there, when I noticed something that made my heart clench in horror. Will had nocked and aimed his bow lazily, obviously thinking that he was well out of the way of accidentally hitting one of them. However, Harry, somehow, instinctively knew that his aim was much more to the right then Will realized, and the arrow would sail not into the target, but into Halt.

"WILL, NO!" Harry yelled, but it was too late. Will had already let go.

Time slowed down. Harry nocked an arrow, and aimed directly ahead. He fired just as Halt turned around, his eyes widening comically. Harry's arrow intercepted Will's, smashing through the center of the shaft and landing with a thud into the muddy ground. All three of them stood frozen for a moment, Will pale and trembling, Harry flabbergasted, and Halt, his eyes dark with fury. He stalked back up the field, Will shrinking back in fear and horror.

"I-" Will stuttered, "I didn't-" he was cut off as Halt grabbed his collar and brought him nose to nose with him.

"Never," Halt growled with deadly calm anger, "Shoot at any target when there's someone collecting arrows. EVER. Do you understand?" Will nodded fearfully.

"I thought-" Halt interrupted.

"You're an apprentice, you're not ready to think." Halt let go. Harry slowly walk back towards them, his knees trembling. Halt looked up as he approached.

"Nice shot," he commented. Harry smiled weakly.

"Thanks."

Halt then led the way back towards the cabin, muttering about stupid apprentices.

**A/N: Well, that went in a surprising direction. Man, Will is gonna get SOO many chores. So, about my update schedule :D. Because I'm in high school and I've got a lot of Crap to do (So much homework! D:) the most optimistic schedule I can think of will be once a week, and even that's a stretch. It definitely won't be another year before I update though, that's for sure. Life gets in the way, man, life gets in the way. Anyway, back to writing! :D**

** See ya chaps!**


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